It is true that the Old Testament sometimes refers to God as jealous. For example:
I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me (Exodus 20:5).1
Biblical descriptions of God's jealousy should always be read in view of the Bible's affirmation of God's holiness, justice, and love ( Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 36:7; 89:14; 145:17; Luke 13:34; John 3:16; 1 John 4:16; Revelation 15:3; 19:11 ). God is the source of all goodness and justice. When properly understood, His jealousy isn't inconsistent with His love and holiness; it's required by it. When we react against the Bible's description of God as a jealous God, we forget that there are times when jealousy is right and appropriate.
In one sense God's jealousy refers to the natural consequences of living in a way that goes against the grain of reality. Anyone who lives as though he isn't responsible for the effects of his actions, as though he is the center of the universe, will always encounter this kind of jealousy. The universe is stacked against idolatry and rebellion.
But the Bible's reference to God's jealousy also makes clear that God's response to our idolatry isn't merely natural, it is personal and supernatural. As hard as it is for us to comprehend, the Creator of the universe is consciously aware of our every foolish act and arrogant thought. When we reject Him, He consciously suffers intense grief, something that in human terms can only be compared with the suffering of a husband with a cheating wife, or a father with wicked, ungrateful sons.
But unlike us, God is perfectly loving. His jealousy is untainted with the malice or envy present in even the most justified human jealousy. He is a heavenly Father ( Matthew 6:32; Luke 11:13 ), a gentle Shepherd who protects and nourishes His wayward sheep ( Psalm 23:1-4; Isaiah 55:7 ). Because He is true to His nature, this jealous, loving God made provision for our redemption, providing an avenue of reconciliation with Him even after we have spurned His love:
We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:6).
At just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:6-8).
Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit (1 Peter 3:18).
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).
1. Exodus 20:5 declares that God punishes those who hate Him, even to the third and fourth generation. This doesn't mean that God arbitrarily punishes us for sins committed by others. Ezekiel 18 explicitly states that God never punishes a son for the sin of a father or a father for the sin of a son. Punishment can be in the form of the natural consequences of godlessness. Children in a God-hating environment tend to become God-haters too. They become enslaved to evil and suffer the consequences of a life out of sync with natural law. But since God is a personal being, He is behind these so-called natural phenomena in all the awesomeness of His personhood. He may even intervene in the natural course of events in an obviously supernatural way, as He did when He brought drought upon Israel during the time of Elijah as punishment for her idolatry ( 1 Kings 17–19 ). Notice how quickly rain was restored after the Israelites rejected the Baals and declared their restored loyalty to Him ( 19:43-45 ). Back To Article